Did Judas Partake in the Elements of Communion?

Hey Andy, did Judas partake in the elements of Communion?

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Hi, good question. Actually, I heard once about a debate as to whether or not Judas was present when they partook in the elements of the Lord’s Supper (a.k.a.: Communion, Eucharist). Interestingly enough, Matthew, Mark and Luke left out Judas’ leaving, as well as the foot washing event. I also thought it was interesting that Judas denied his betrayal, following the other disciples’ words, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” (However, we don’t know the tone of his voice when he said it). So let’s take a look at this:

Matthew’s, Mark’s, and Luke’s Gospels mention:

• Lord’s Supper
• No foot washing
• Nothing about Judas leaving

John’s Gospel mentions:

• Foot washing
• Judas Leaves
• No Lord’s Supper

Now, we know that Judas was still present during the foot washing, for when Simon asked to have his whole body washed, Jesus said that he was already clean, and so only needed his feet cleaned, but not everybody there was clean, saying that Jesus knew who was going to betray Him. (John 13:10-11) The question though, is when did Jesus distribute and introduce the elements?

Matthew, Mark and Luke mention that while they were still eating, and Jesus was reclining with them at the table, He announced that one of them (one of the 12) would betray Him. (Luke probably mentioned “one of the 12” to trump any suggestions of other names, or the servants waiting on the meal). Everybody asked if it would be them. All four gospels reveal it to be Judas, but only John makes reference to Satan jumping into Judas, and a time that he left.

Lutherans’ take debunked

Check this out: some Lutheran synods/sects (Missouri Synod?) have this thing about who is and who is not allowed to partake in communion with them. They fear that if one person is of the wrong spirit or heart, then all risk being tainted or getting sick. It’s like the one bad egg in the omelet. However, if Judas was present during the Eucharist, then it would also disprove the Lutherans’ claim/rules of who may partake, for clearly, Judas’ heart/spirit wasn’t right.

Granted, they could argue that Judas’ presence caused them all to abandon Jesus and for Peter to deny Jesus 3 times, but how would it account for John’s continued presence? Also, if they were to argue this, then they would also have to take in account that:

• Neither had the Holy Spirit yet
• Each (except Judas) was forgiven, reinstated, and given great authority and missions.

So in other words, everything worked out fine. (However, if Judas was not present for the Eucharist, then we can still look at the 1 Corinthians’ text that they take this from, for the context itself even shows that this is not what Paul was saying. So the passage they misinterpret proves their theology in this matter is incorrect.)

So, was Judas present for the Eucharist?

Well, Judas was obviously present for the foot-washing, mentioned in John. But was he there during the Lord’s Supper (Communion / Eucharist)? In summary, I can’t tell. But John’s gospel does seem to give the understanding that after they finished eating, Jesus walked over and began washing their feet. But, then again, Judas didn’t leave until Jesus called him out, and at that time, they were both reclining, dipping their bread in the same cup. (Also, if you’ll look in the picture, you’ll see that tradition seems to suggest that Judas was present).

Like I said in the beginning, it’s a good question. Unfortunately though, neither of the gospels are fully clear about the answer to this, possibly because it didn’t matter, nor was it important for the sake of the Gospel.

If anybody has any thoughts on this, please leave them in the comments section below.